Sex change chickens

Fell down the rabbit hole of this ( got builders in so trapped in the Covid buffer zone atm and very bored) so have been reading.

I didn't realise that different 'strains' are bred - one for egg production, a different one for meat ( though probably should have worked it out!) I had naively assumed that male chicks would go on to be 'meat'.

Apparently there is a way of sexing eggs now, which may be a help.

Now having a good think about the practicalities of going vegan!

Chickens bred for meat are male and female, those that lay eggs are all female obviously, they are completely separate blood lines, both are hybrid for commercial use. It would be great if there was a way of sexing eggs before they are set for hatching, because it’s X and Y chromosomes cockerels that breed female offspring would be progress. BTW sexed semen can be used for dairy cattle breeding, it’s about 80% accurate which saves a lot of unwanted male calves.

When is the last time you actually saw a mother hen with her chicks outside of a children’s book?
At DD's

So, are the bald, headless tied up chickens we buy in supermarkets all female then?

I'm reasonably confident that absolutely nothing is wasted in the food industry if it can be helped. But I'm happy to be proved wrong.

Vegansrock - I don't think anyone was laughing at animal cruelty, they were sniggering about bird sex and the word cock.

Ours lived like that, except we had to keep an eye on them if we let them out of their run because of foxes. Even in their run buzzards often hovered over them and would take any small ones. in spite of the cockerels screaming.
As for hens with chicks, husband made a special run for them because if left in the henhouse with their mother the adults trod on them after they left the nest.
On second thoughts, not a brilliant idea of the Israelis.

What sound vibrations do they play to alter the development do you think? Maybe Beyoncé, If I Were a Boy?

I do take your point, vegansrock. There is a farm near us which sells genuine free range eggs - you can see the chickens, ducks etc wandering about - and also milk and cheese from cows milked once a day so calves stay with them. Not perfect, but better than the standard system.

Let’s all laugh at cruelty to animals shall we? One of the reasons for this pandemic is humans abusing animals. Chickens being the most abused animal on the planet, unable to live anything like a natural life. When is the last time you actually saw a mother hen with her chicks outside of a children’s book?
www.peta.org.uk/blog/the-uk-egg-industry-is-lying-to-you/

LOL MissAdventure.

Trans"hen"ders.

???
Choking into my EllanVannin???

Doesn't even give them time to moan about a headache does it, GagaJo ?

That doesn't sound much fun for the hen.

GagaJo - evidently they squirt the semen into a vent at the back of the hen

x posts, calli ?

GagaJo

Fennel, if there is no penis, how do hens get fertilised? I am aware I probably sound very ignorant now.

How birds have sex. Since someone asked.

vetexplainspets.com/how-does-rooster-fertilize-egg/

I suppose it's the same process with all birds?

Ooh, you are awful!

oh Lemongrove, you never fail to make me laugh out loud!

Isn’t that what a cock is for??

Fennel, if there is no penis, how do hens get fertilised? I am aware I probably sound very ignorant now.

One way to get rid of the patriarchy!

My mum would never buy capons.

Interesting.

Crocodiles change sex in the egg depending on the temperature. I learnt that on a visit to a crocodile farm, however, I don't want to eat crocodile eggs!

I suppose if it happens fairly naturally without the use of hormones that's more acceptable.

What a brilliant idea!
When we kept poultry we bought the males for their meat - they're much more meaty than the hens and they're cheaper.
Buy nowadays the hens are fed extra to make them fatter.
Something to help the Israelis - a cockerel doesn''t have a penis, which surprised me.
Also cockerels have already been castrated (chemically) for years to make capons so they get fat and lazy. Poor things.

I doubt the aim is kindness, female chickens are simply more profitable. What’s next, bull calves changed to heifer calves?